I have been a fan of Sheman Alexie for a while now. His first journey into Young Adult literature is no disappointment!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is Junior's journey to live, to reach his potential and not lose hope amidst the cruel realities of alcohol and hopelessness on a Spokane Indian Reservation. At the prodding of reservation teacher Mr. P (who Junior "accidentally" hits with a textbook he flings at him in class), Junior decides to attend the nearby white school outside of the reservation. This is a very hard and dangerous decision to make and Junior knows that. He faces racism at his new school-along with the other mandatory entering-high-school-traumas. He also faces anger, rejection and disappointment on the reservation because most see him as a traitor for leaving. This story speak to anyone, from any race, who has ever broken the mold and tried to reach for more than what is offered around them. I was the first in my family to go to college and faced obstacles at almost every turn from frightened, unsure family members. I could relate, on some level, to Junior's experiences. Thrown into the mix of Junior's struggles to live, are the stories of his family and close friends waiting to die. Both parents and a close family friend (Eugene) are alcoholics as is his sister Mary who runs away to Montana in order to cling to what's left of her dreams. Junior's best friend, Rowdy, is struggling with the fact that he will probably become his father. Grandma is the only form of tolerance and stability in Junior's life. She is killed by a drunk driver. All of Junior's struggles are not resolved at the end, but he does see others are proud of him and he can be proud of himself.
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